Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-21


edition by the first proximo.
Crsp and Climate Prociivities of
Los Angeles.
As there are multitudes of visitors
here Just now who know little or
nothing about this section, o short
resume OF some OF our crop and eli
matte conditions will probably be OF
interest 10 them. For ten years past
although We have had several years
Of scant rainfall, we have had moth
ing that might be called drouth, or
which even attained to the dignity OF
. "dry year"-which latter phrase
means a far different thing from
drouth. The last disastrous vista
zion of the genuine drouth variety was
in the season of lS76-77, when the
total rainfall for the year in the Los
Angeles Valley was only 5.s4 inches.
At that time the raising of the cere-
ais except by the aid Of irrigation was
scarcely thought of in Los Angeles
county. We believe that it was in
this season that the Messrs. Lanker-
SHIN and Van Nuys began raising
wheat on their extensive ranch in the
ban Fernando Valley. Mr.. ID. Free
man and his tenants on the Centinela
also started wheat growing in this
most unpropitious of years; and
strangely enough, the experiment,
under the circumstances, was highly
successful.
At that time Los Angeles county
crops, outside of tie products of our
vineyards and orange groves, consist
ed mainly OF barley and corn. The
former staple was raised in almost
every instance by irrigation, as was
the latter, with the exception of the
rich, moist bottom lands of Savannah,
the Monte, Downey City, the Ranchi-
to, Gospel Swamp and the San Ga
briel Valley. The rich valley which
has since become so famous was then
grouped amongst the "cow counties,
and not unreasonably SO. Number
less herds Of cattle and bands OF
sheep depastured the alfilerilla and
bunch grasses of our mesas. Where
Pasadena now stands twelve years
ago was the pasture range OF the San
Pasqual ranch. These herds and
flocks were allowed to multiply with
out thought of the morrow. The
cupidity of their owners blinded them
to the fact thatif they allowed these
animals to increase beyond the ca
pacity OF their ranges, and dry year
should come along, disaster was in
evitable. There had been no attempt
10 accumulate any stores of feed for
such q conjuncture. AS a conse-
quence; when a severe dry spell
supervened it deserved the mama of
d-outh, although it was really the
natural outcome of the greed and inn
providence of the sheep and cattle
men.
ALI the conditions under which we
live have since changed amazingly
for the better, and we have no hesita-
tion in saying that drouth is no
longer possible in Los Angeles
county. Dry years we shall still
have from time to time, but they
have been shorn of their terrors. An
examination of the rainfall OF Los
Angeles county during the past thir-
teen or fourteen years (the only
period as to which we have any re-
liable data) will show that the rain
fall has been steadily increasing.
This is owing to the extensive plant
ing of trees and to the prodigious
areas of soil which have been broken
mp aud seeded during the past de-
eade, thus stimulating the capillary
attraction which is such a potent
agency in securing and retaining
moisture. The cultivation of those
portions of the county which were
formerly devoted to ranges for sheep
and cattle, and which were supposed
not to be suited for purposes of agri-
culture, has disclosed the fact that
our mesas and valley lands are no
more subject to drouth than are those
of New York, Pennsylvania or Ken
tucky. In fact, since the last drouth
in Los Angeles county there have
been three grievous dry years in
1he State Of New York, and on all
these occasions the prospects of
water famines stared the Gothamites
In the face. Thrice was the Croton
Lake almost dried up, and, but for
Providential rains, unusual means
Would have been necessary to assure
lie inhabitants Of Manhattan Island
water for domestic purposes. In
comparing Los Angeles with any